The great: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D looks damn sexy with a smooth and sleek silver finish along with a striking design. The OSD and Smart Hub options tend to be plentiful and useful, movies look great on it, also it includes 3D support for movies and games. Also, the actual built-in speakers are powerful and clear.The bad: 3D performance in games about the monitor is disappointing with no DVI dual link link included. Also, its price is high for a TN show.
The bottom line: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D is an HDTV/monitor intended for movies and TV with tons of features and an attractive design, but some will find its price too higher.
At two different points earlier this year I got an opportunity to see the Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D under controlled conditions. Every time the monitor wowed me with its glossy presentation associated with movies with deep blacks, brilliant color, and a seemingly high contrast. Controlled demos are one thing, though, and how a device performs in labs tests under an infinitely more discriminating eye can be something else.
Design and functions
The design of the 27-inch Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D could be described in just one word: gorgeous and unique. OKAY, that's two words--or three, if you must be absolutely literal--but in this instance one word just isn't enough.
The design enables about 20 examples of back tilt, but no other ergonomic options. The metallic chrome look (it's actually plastic) from the back panel accentuates the monitor's smooth finish, with absolutely no ports, connections, or VESA screw holes on it in order to ruin the aesthetic; however, there is a serial number sticker right smack within the bottom middle that ruins an otherwise pristine look.
The bottom stand accepts the burden of connections, and on it's back are two USB ports, a coaxial in, COMPUTER audio in and out, an optical audio port, along with a connection for the included composite/component dongle. All face back and are easily accessible.
Unfortunately, no DVI port is included, but Samsung attempts to replace with this by featuring two HDMI ports instead. As an additional bonus, each HDMI port can be switched to video or graphics optimization with the onscreen display (OSD).
Smart Hub offers streaming video, games, and apps, including Netflix, Hulu, Myspace, and Twitter, among many others. Also, you can flow video from any AllShare-enabled device, like a Samsung smart phone, directly to the T27A950D. Thanks to the monitor's Ethernet interface and built-in CPU, this can all be done without the assistance of a computer connected to the display. Connection to a wireless router can be achieved by using a Samsung USB wireless adapter, but no native Wi-Fi is roofed.
The version of Smart Hub here looks to be very near to the one Samsung has included in its HDTVs for some time now. Check out our full review for more data. In our experience, Smart Hub was easy to get around; apps downloaded quickly and installed themselves without any difficulty. Unfortunately, we were unable to get Netflix to trigger the monitor.
Included with the T27A950D is a set of wireless, Samsung-proprietary, active-shutter 3D glasses. The glasses fit comfortably about the face, but there is a huge gap at the very best between the glasses and your forehead where lots of light may come through.
According to Samsung, the shutter lens is open 70 percent of times, whereas Nvidia's--or "Company N", as its press materials refer to it--is open only 32 percent of times. This purportedly results in a longer battery life for that glasses and less strain on the eye, due in order to more ambient light being allowed in.
The monitor's overall quality is high with a foot stand that won't budge regardless of the force with which we punched it, but as the foot stand feels nice and heavy, the panel, whenever squeezed, was more malleable than we'd like.
Performance
All of us tested the 27-inch Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D through its HDMI (DVI) enter, connected to a Windows Vista PC, using the incorporated HDMI cable. The display posted a composite score associated with 91 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests.
DisplayMate:
Color performance overall was great, but was plagued by the nearly impossible to escape green hue problem that crops on many monitors during the color tracking test. Once calibrated nevertheless, the green impression was significantly diminished.
Backlight bleeding was prevalent across the bottom left edge and top right edge.
Text:
Black text on white looked clear and crisp right down to a level 6. 8 font, with no abnormalities or even weird color artifacts.
Movies:
According to Samsung, Ultra Clear Panel (used in several of its HDTVs) is a coating added to the leading of the screen that reduces reflections, while at the same time frame increases the level of contrast.
Source : CNET Review